{RELEASED} map updateing program v2.0.1

I have written a vb program to convert the pre 1.14 maps to 1.16

I am thinking of codeing a quick & dirty vb program that will bruteforce convert all earlier maps to 1.14 & entrenchment beta 3.0.

if other mappers are interested I could make it available for general use

ie the program will search all directories for .galaxy files then read each one in, check if it need converting, if it does then add the new items into the file and write the results out if it does not then go to the next file in the list,

NEW instructions

1 download this (link is to a complete set of the utilities in my dropbox in anchive)

2 extract downloaded file to desktop (OR any other location in the computer)

3 open location you extracted the archive to

4 create shortcuts to all exe files other than convertdata*.exe

5 use shortcuts to start utility you want to use (btw rebellion versions will work with vanilla,enterenchment and diplomacy/trinity)

OLD instructions

download the rar which is "solid" with recovery records and a comment

extract the files to any folder

run the exe (written in VB6 so no dotnet runtime load), can also run from a usb stick and has been tested on xp32bit xp64 bit vista 32bit vista 64bit win7 32bit win7 64bit

click on "find galaxies" the program looks in the "appdata\ironclad games\sins of a solar empire" and "program files\Stardock Games\Sins of a Solar Empire" directories & all subdirectories for galaxy files & creates a list in memory of them all

click on "fix galaxies" the program then goes through the list of files it checks if it s an ironclad map if it is it skips it, then it reads the map into memory, then checks the versionnumber if it is the current version it skips the map, then renames the map to *.galold so that the original map is still there & hidden from sins and the map updater, then reads through each line in the map looking for the lines that have changed from the previous version map, when it finds one it replaces the old text with the new text and continues searching and it writes each line out after checking & no change or change is written out to the galaxy file and continues with the next line until the end of file when it closes the galaxy file & checks the next etc.. etc..

there is three other buttons in the program

"exit" exits the program (doooo!!!!)

"progfiles galaxies" shows you the program files sins directory and allows you browse (LOOK AT) the directories & show all GALAXY files

and the final button

"local apps galaxies"shows you the local applications\ironclad games\sins directory and allows you browse (LOOK AT) the directories & show all GALAXY files

now get out there and enjoy your older maps in the LATEST SIN

by the way it does also convert the map designer maps as well as galaxy forge maps

edit have extended the instructions txt files to convert version 1 maps to version 3 as well the structure txt files are the total change and available here http://www.mediafire.com/file/mrwd0fgmzom/sins map updater update txts.rar

edit I am starting on a new version that will CORRECTLY update version 0, version 1 & version 2 to version 3 maps, ie sins 1.00-1.03,1.04-1.05 and 1.10-1.14 to 1.15+ galaxies.

the latest version is in the mod updater archive which has all of my modding utilities

and the rebel tolerant beta version adds ONE extra button labeled 'rebel' that will lock it into working on the rebellion map updating in the CURRENT rebellion galaxyforge folder under the documents folder and only updating all the galaxy maps found there to the current rebellion only mapversion 4, and if used without clicking on the rebel button it works the same as the version in the mod updater set

I agree that manual conversion would be hard as each planet needs the quickstart items as well as the changing of names for the player start values from homePlanetUpgradeLevel: to normalStartHomePlanetUpgradeLevel: and quickStartHomePlanetUpgradeLevel:.

fortunetly it appears that there are no changes to templates, but that is only looking in Ancient Gifts and comparing beta 2.5 with 1.14 & beta3

hopefully it will be a quick project similar to the supreme commander map change that came with build 3251 that I had written a q&d converter for, but never released

I am downloading it at the moment in one of my testing machines, and I had to uninstall the entrenchment beta3 which killed the sins install again, so both the sins 1.15.047 and entrenchment 1.00.25 are downloading at the moment, and when they finish I will be analysing the map format to see what changes I need to make. hopefully it will be just a alteration in the input files rather than an alteration of code.

latest update the support code for th updater is complete, the only change from beta3 is the version number,the program will refuse to run unless the sins version is correct for the translation files and it will tell you that you have the wrong version if you do. the code to finish is the update the map file code which should be the last section, but the hardest section.

3 after the run I will visually compare each line in both files, if any differences I will continue to debug the program & re-test untill there is no differences.

4 I will then test on several of my own maps and try loading them into sins 1.15 & entrenchment 1.00. if problems continue to debug & re-test until they all work including the dome mod from the 15th jan 2009

5. I will then upload the BETA release to wincustomise and post a link

justa quick note on the status I an starting writing the parser for map files which is the most complex part of the program, so NO ETA and I want to complete it as much as you want me to for the same reason ie to update my own maps and get back to playing SINS

you unrar it to anywhere, then run the exe, which will only look in the default sins areas ie program files\stardock games\sins and appdata\ironclad games\sins, click on the find galaxies button & it searches the two areas and returns a list of ALL GALAXY files, when you click on 'fix galaxies' it then goes through the list of galaxies checks if it is a ironclad official galaxy if not it thenreads the galaxy into memory & checks the versionnumber in the galaxy, if the version is NOT the current version it RENAMES the existing galaxy to galold,(so if there is a problem the original file is still available), then reads through the galaxy looking for the lines that have been changed in old maps and are different in new maps, when it locates such a change it replaces the old lines with the new & continues on through the galaxy. when it gets to the end it goes to the next galaxy. rinse & repeat

the program looks for the default install location of sins (C:\Program Files\Stardock Games\Sins of a Solar Empire) for 32 bit or (C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock Games\Sins of a Solar Empire) for 64bit and checks the sins version. the reason for the version check is to prevent updateing maps to a version that is incompatible with the verion of sins installed.

sorry but the program was written for the default locations, but the workaround would be to create a directory in the windows drive \program files\Stardock Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\, and copy Sins of a Solar Empire.exe into it then copy your galaxy folder into the sins directory then run the map updater. then copy the sins directory back to where you want it.

the reason for the sins version check is so that people will not bugger maps when they have an older version of sins as the NEW map format is radically different from the version 2 and earlier maps.

I might release a version that does not have the sins version check if BLAIR asks me as I want to help protect their intelectual property as well

the (x86) is for 64 bit windows for 32bit it is the plain program files & I have xp,xp64,vista,vista64,w7, & w7 64bit, & tested on all oses with default installation. one of the reasons is the old method of multiple versions installed on one computer ie copy the sins filder to a new name then update the default location, and the program is currently set up for the latest version, so should only look in the current directories & not old versions. for those that installed in a differnt location then yes they have to cludge around it but it is setup for the majority of sins players

Hi I have problem with this program when I click local apps galaxies or find galaxies i get error Run-time error 76 Path not found. I have sins in different location installed but i create folder that you write early copy all files to it and i get this error.

directories are missing, which could happen if you have different user names in the computer and sins was installed in user"a" and you run the map updater in user "b" for example. th simples fix is to run the map updater in the same user that sins is installed in.

Hmy i have polish version of Windows Xp and in my user name is the folder with sins but i don't have folder Local Settings but in polish that mean "Ustawienia Lokalne" and futher is no Applictation Data but "Dane Aplikacji" mayba that is the problem. Program don't recognized my polish name version of this same folder as in english.